Here’s what I can tell you about modern cycling media in South Africa: we’re all small businesses. Like most other small businesses in this country, we’re surviving rather than thriving. In fact, most of us don’t even operate as full-time cycling media businesses anymore because, quite simply, it’s not a particularly attractive business model.
By Sean Badenhorst
Very few cycling industry brands are spending meaningful money on advertising with cycling media. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the bicycle industry is in a tough place economically, and many brands are also just trying to survive. Secondly, some don’t see the value in spending money with cycling media. That’s their choice, and I respect it.
Instead, many brands allocate their marketing budgets to creating and publishing their own content, mostly through social media. Reels, short videos and other easily consumed formats are designed to reach the smartphone scrollers. It’s understandable. Brands have complete control over their messaging, their image and the way their products are presented. The trade-off, though, is credibility. A brand’s own media will never voluntarily highlight its weaknesses or shortcomings. That’s not what it’s there to do.
So where does that leave cycling media? We adapt. With very little traditional advertising income, we increasingly rely on paid-partnership content. These are articles or features that promote a brand, product or event in exchange for money or some form of tradeable value. Let’s be honest: paid content also has limitations when it comes to credibility. The reader knows there’s a commercial arrangement behind it. However, it offers more depth than a display advert and appears within an established media environment, one that has hopefully earned a degree of trust through years of independent editorial coverage, opinion pieces and relevant reporting.
That distinction matters. A credible media brand needs to maintain a balance between commercial content and genuine editorial. Without the latter, it eventually becomes little more than another marketing channel.
With limited staff and resources, we also have to be selective about the stories we produce. We prioritise topics that are relevant to a broad audience because audience engagement, readership and clicks are what keep digital media platforms commercially viable. It’s a practical necessity, even if it means some worthwhile stories don’t receive the attention they deserve.
ONE PERSON, SEVERAL ROLES
In larger cycling markets such as the USA and Europe, even relatively modest cycling media operations have dedicated staff covering particular beats. One person might focus on professional racing, another on bike and equipment reviews, while someone else produces technical advice, how-to articles and content for newer riders.
South African cycling media doesn’t have that luxury. Most of the work is handled by one or two people, with occasional contributions from freelancers. The same person might be covering a race, testing a bicycle, interviewing an elite athlete, writing a technical feature, managing social media and negotiating the next commercial partnership. Often in the same week.
That inevitably affects the volume and variety of coverage we can deliver. It isn’t necessarily a lack of interest in a particular discipline, event or athlete. Mostly, it’s simply a lack of capacity.
ATHLETES, INFLUENCERS & THE CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE
There’s another interesting dynamic. Many high-profile South African bicycle racers have medium to large social media followings. Most expect cycling media coverage when they achieve something significant, but surprisingly few make an effort to share the media coverage of their achievements, even when they’ve been tagged in the related social media posts. It’s a curious imbalance. Athletes expect the exposure, but don’t always help extend its reach.
Then there are influencers. Most aren’t particularly accomplished bicycle racers, but they get the riding culture and know how to shoot and edit engaging social media content. They work out what grabs attention online, and brands have understandably recognised their marketing potential.
The result is often impressive exposure, but it comes with the same credibility limitation as brand-produced content. When someone is being paid or otherwise incentivised to promote a brand, their content needs to be viewed in that context. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it, but it’s not independent journalism.
I suspect many younger bicycle racers don’t even place much value on traditional cycling media coverage. They’ve grown up in an environment where social media followers, views and viral posts are the primary currency. Some probably aren’t even aware of the role cycling media used to play, or the role it still tries to fulfil in today’s somewhat unstructured digital landscape.
Of course, some full-time sponsored riders are excellent at producing their own social media content; while others aren’t particularly interested in that side of things and simply enjoy training, racing and connecting with people in the real world. Both types can benefit from cycling media. Independent coverage can introduce them to audiences beyond their own social media following, build their profiles, add value to their sponsors and give their achievements a more permanent platform than a post that disappears down someone’s feed within a day or two.
If I were a sponsored full-time athlete, or even a professional athlete (yes, there’s a difference), I’d make an effort to establish a relationship with my local cycling media. That could be directly, through a coffee, a recovery ride or a ‘Teams meeting’, or indirectly, by tagging the relevant media brands in appropriate social media posts and sharing their coverage.
There aren’t hundreds of South African cycling media brands to choose from. Depending on how broadly you define cycling media, there are probably only three or four in this country. Making an effort to build a relationship with them shouldn’t be particularly difficult.
MORE THAN JUST REPORTING RACE RESULTS
Cycling media has a responsibility that extends well beyond reporting race results, publishing product reviews and sharing event information.
At its best, cycling media invests in the sport it covers by consistently delivering relevant, professionally produced and reasonably objective content. Finding 100% objectivity in any media environment these days is almost impossible, but the pursuit of it should remain a fundamental principle.
Regular publication of professionally written stories, supported by quality photography and video where appropriate, is the minimum requirement. Whether that content appears on a website, in an email newsletter or, increasingly rarely, in print, it needs to be backed by active social media platforms that keep audiences informed and engaged.
But there’s another important responsibility: being a voice of reason. That reputation comes from producing content that is authentic, authoritative and, when necessary, critical. Since social media gave everyone the ability to self-publish opinions, complaints and grievances, the traditional role of cycling media as an independent voice has become less prominent. It shouldn’t have disappeared, though. When something affects the wider cycling community, established media should still be prepared to investigate it, ask difficult questions and provide a platform for meaningful discussion.
An occasional rant on someone’s podcast is not a substitute for that. Podcasts certainly have a place within cycling media, but a podcast on its own doesn’t necessarily constitute a fully developed cycling media brand. There’s a broader responsibility that comes with consistently serving a sport and its community.
Those of us working in cycling media aren’t simply passionate bicycle riders who happen to write about bikes. We invest time, energy and media space in areas that much of the commercial industry still considers peripheral. Schools cycling, women’s cycling, development programmes and other less commercially attractive segments all need exposure and support. We recognise their importance to the future of the sport, even when covering them doesn’t generate particularly impressive click rates.
We understand the value of cycling events and safe places to ride, and support both publicly and privately. We recognise the crucial roles played by volunteer administrators, parents, coaches and sponsors, and acknowledge their contributions whenever possible. We appreciate the hard work and talent of South Africa’s top performers, whether they’re racing locally or internationally, and try to give their achievements the recognition they deserve. Sometimes that’s a full feature article; sometimes it’s a social media post.
All of this is done, to varying degrees, by the handful of South African cycling media brands, most of which fulfil these responsibilities with part-time resources.
THE RELATIONSHIP NEEDS TO WORK BOTH WAYS
So, if you’re wondering why cycling media hasn’t covered something you believe deserves exposure, don’t just complain about it on your own social media account.
Make contact. Cycling media brands publish their contact details on their websites. Explain what the story is, why it’s relevant and why you think it deserves coverage. If it’s interesting and has wider appeal, there’s a good chance someone will take it up. If it isn’t, at least you’ve made an effort and started a relationship with a media brand that might be more receptive to your next request.
Cycling media can’t cover everything. We don’t have the people, time or financial resources to do that. But we’re still here, still investing in the sport and still trying to provide a credible voice in an increasingly noisy digital environment.
The relationship between cycling media, brands, athletes, event organisers and the wider cycling community shouldn’t be one-way. We all benefit when it works both ways.
And perhaps that’s something worth remembering before the next time someone asks: Why hasn’t the media covered this?
Sean Badenhorst has been a South African cycling writer since 1990. He is the co-founder and editor of TREAD Media, which was established in 2009.
